ATOTB: August 1978
by riakida
Summary: AU, set in the "A Tale of Two Brothers" world. Regulus finds the motorbike. Warning: Spanking.


A/N: By request.

**August 1978**

The motorbike. There it was, in the cellar, in the back corner behind the wine rack and a bunch of old spiderwebs, hidden under an old grey blanket. Blanket removed, though, it looked like new. Black polish, shining in the sparse light of the single lightbulb dangling from the low ceiling. He remembered how long and hard Sirius had worked on that bike, back when they'd spent their summer at the cottage, countless hours in the sun, that muggle girl helping him. Still Regulus had almost forgotten how beautiful the bike was.

And then Sirius, having to give it up after he and James had raced it and Mr. Potter had taken it away. He remembered how crushed Sirius had been. Regulus almost threw the blanket back over the motorbike and left the cellar. Almost. But now that he'd seen it he couldn't forget it, he couldn't move away from this. A siren call, the call of the forbidden, irresistible. His heart was beating to a slightly different beat now, a surge of excitement making his blood flow light and strong.

Sirius had promised him a ride after all.

* * *

It all happened so fast. One moment he was careering down the street, freedom tingling in his fingertips, the feel of the bike under him, the powerful roar of the engine, awesome. The next moment, Regulus heard a loud crash, heard it first before he realized that his body was sliding across a car's hood and then skidding down the rough asphalt, felt it bite into his back and arms, burning through the thin fabric of his shirt and jeans, ripping at it like it was nothing. He was just vaguely aware of the car screeching to a halt. He got aware of a red-hot stinging pain in his arm. For a second, all was still. The dull slamming of the driver's door cut that silence short, a man hurried towards him. Regulus tried to get up, gasped. The man was next to him a moment later. He was talking fast, his hands all over Regulus. When he'd made sure that Regulus was still alive he ran over to a telephone booth nearby, almost tripping over the road curb. He was swearing, Regulus remembered that clearly, even through the pain that was surging from his arm, crippling his mind. The man looked so helpless and scared, Regulus wanted to tell him that it was okay, that he was going to be okay.

Regulus turned to his side, tried to get up on his knees, slumped back down. His back felt like the street had ripped his skin right off. "Don't," the boy croaked as the man was about to give the ambulance directions, "I live right down the street. Just take me there, please."

* * *

It was a sight Sirius would never forget. Reg, covered in cuts and scratches, stumbling through the door.

Somehow, Regulus had convinced the car's driver to drop him off at home instead of taking him to the hospital. The boy was surprisingly stable, how he held himself on his two feet, Sirius didn't know. Mrs. Potter and Sirius ran towards him, steadied him, helped him to walk inside. The muggle wanted to follow them inside at first but Mr. Potter took care of him, thanked him, stepped outside and closed the door behind them and followed the muggle to his car.

Regulus groaned in pain as he lowered himself onto the couch. Mrs. Potter summoned several potions, gave them to the boy. He took them without so much as batting an eye. She healed his arm, fractured, she said, but not broken. Easy to heal in this state, he should thank the stars for having been so lucky. Skin closed up, cuts disappeared as though she could turn back time in small parts.

"Did you hit your head?" she asked next, her hands feeling Regulus' scalp for any injuries. A head injury would be a lot more serious.

"I don't think so," the boy responded.

He looked at Sirius, who stood next to the sofa and watched them helplessly, his expression one of unspoken horror.

"I feel fine now," Regulus tried to reassure his big brother, "it's really not as bad as it looks -"

Mr. Potter reappeared, cleared his throat, motioned for Sirius to follow him. At Mrs. Potter's nod, and knowing that his little brother was in good hands, Sirius followed his father outside. They walked to the end of the street where it branched off in two directions. A trail of metal splinters, glass shards, and parts of the motorbike's entrails led from the point of impact, marked by a set of wheel traces, to the side of the road where the motorbike had stranded like a hit deer dying in close proximity to green grass and shadow-spending trees.

Sirius almost couldn't believe it when he saw the condition the motorbike was in. It was barely recognizable. It looked like a truck had run over it, bent it in all kinds of places, the front wheel squared, the metal mangled, a big part of the rear fender was missing and one of the mirrors had been snapped off; the leather seat had been ripped open by the asphalt.

"Care to explain why your brother had that bike?" Mr. Potter didn't sound happy. He picked up a piece of the bike's headlight and dropped it next to the bike.

Sirius was at a loss of words. "What bike?" he said eventually in a lame attempt to make light of the horror in front of him. His knees weakened and he crouched down next to the bike, ran a hand across the battered fuel tank. It was sporting a giant dent on the left side. His imagination was running wild. How, in Merlin's name, was Reg still in one piece? Sirius didn't have to be a Sherlock to have a single look at the bike tell him that his brother could've easily been killed.

"Did you find it? Did you tell him where it was?" The man's voice was very stern.

Sirius looked up at his father. "I didn't even know you still had it," he croaked, forcing his words past a giant lump in his throat. "I have no idea how and when he found it."

"All right. Let's get it home then before the neighbors start asking questions," Mr. Potter said in a low voice. He raised his wand, caused the metal and glass splinters to fly to the side of the road and disappear under the shrubs nearby. "I already obliviated the driver and fixed his car. We can't have the muggle police showing up, an underage wizard getting into an accident and possibly even breaking muggle laws, that would alert the Ministry."

He didn't have to explain what would happen if the ministry caught wind of the motorbike, not to Sirius.

* * *

To see Reg sitting healthy and unharmed on the sofa, Sirius almost couldn't believe his eyes, especially after he'd seen how bad it had been hit, carried the totaled bike into the cellar, pieces falling off in the process. He couldn't believe how Reg had survived this with only a few scratches, a fractured arm but no serious injuries, it _was_ a miracle.

All this was running through Sirius' head as he froze in the doorway, stared at his little brother. The boy watched him worriedly.

"I'm sorry -" Regulus began, hands on his thighs, nervously crumbling the fabric of his jeans - jeans that had gotten ripped in the accident.

Sirius quickly crossed the distance between them, yanked the boy up, hugged him tightly. He was shaking, his breath hitching at the feel of Reg's warm head of hair under his fingers. His little brother, alive, warm, and breathing in his arms.

Regulus allowed it to happen. He was like a doll in Sirius' arms, quietly waiting to be released.

Which happened sooner rather than later. Sirius swung the boy to the side, tucked him under his left arm and landed a flurry of hard smacks to his rear end.

"Oww!" Regulus quickly turned away and threw back his hand in a desperate attempt to save his poor backside from the sudden onslaught. "Stop!"

Sirius righted him, his fingers itching to give the boy a good shake. Instead, he pulled him towards himself once more, wrapped his arms around the kid in a different, not-so-comforting kind of hug, bit back tears. When he spoke, he used them to harshen his voice. "Bloody hell, Regulus! Where did you leave your goddamn brain? What in Merlin's name were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Regulus responded in a small voice. He squirmed a little in an attempt to loosen the iron embrace that he was caught in. "I thought - I dunno…"

Sirius' arms tightened even more around his little brother. "You are in so much trouble, mister," he hissed, his mouth close to Regulus' ear, his lips curling back from his teeth. "Did you see the condition that bike is in? You could've _died_!"

"It was an accident," the boy mumbled.

Sirius almost smacked him again, just for saying that. He pulled back, fixed his sixteen-year-old brother with a stern glare. "Taking that bike for a ride without permission was an accident?!"

"No…"

"Because, rest assured, your little ride will cost you dearly. Your arse is toast, trust me!"

Regulus lowered his head. Sirius could feel protest welling up in the boy yet, for some reason, Regulus swallowed it back down. "It's totaled, isn't it? The bike?"

"What do you think?! Of course it is!"

"I'm sorry," the boy offered.

Sirius landed a hard swat to his hip. Regulus jumped, stifled a yelp. "Don't you apologize for the bike!"

Regulus made a face, his hands wandering down to his hips. "All right then not sorry I guess?"

"Cut out the cheek. You can go to your room and think about how bloody lucky you were today!"

"Lucky my arse," Regulus muttered, taking a step towards the stairwell.

"_Yes,_ your arse is lucky that its owner isn't dead! Fucking hell, Reg!" Sirius turned around, stomped into the kitchen. He needed some time to calm down before he could deal with the kid. His throat was so dry that he could barely swallow. He got himself a glass of water, downed it, then splashed some cold water into his face. He was still shaking, with anger or fear he didn't know. Upstairs, the door to Reg's room closed.

* * *

Even Mrs. Potter agreed that this was serious. Still, she was quick to turn her sharp, interrogating gaze onto Sirius, not willing to overlook any of the other suspects in this case. "Why was he not wearing a helmet?"

Sirius sucked at the inside of his lip. "Maybe because I don't have one."

"_You don__'t have a helmet?_"

Like a volcano, she erupted into a lecture about road safety that rolled over Sirius like white-hot lava.

"He wasn't supposed to find the bike," Sirius defended himself, clasping his hands behind his back. "Hell, even I had no idea that Dad had simply kept it stored away in the basement. I always thought it was gone for good."

Mrs. Potter turned to her husband, pinning him with her eyes. "You kept a motorbike in a house with three boys and you didn't think they'd try it out one day?"

Mr. Potter tugged at his shirt collar. "As Sirius said, Regulus wasn't supposed to find that bike -"

"Of course he wasn't," Mrs. Potter said sharply, hands on her hips. "And in case he'd find it, he was supposed to buy himself a helmet before taking it for a ride."

Mr. Potter frowned. "I should've bought a helmet for a bike that's not even supposed to leave the basement, is that what you're saying?"

"Bloody well it is," Mrs. Potter said angrily.

At least they both agreed that it would do Regulus some good to be reminded of what taking risks with one's life got him in this house. So Sirius dragged himself upstairs, leaned against the wall opposite to Reg's room for a short moment, the tapestry cool against his back. The sun was setting outside but it was still warm out and he'd been sweating a lot today. All he wanted was a cold shower.

This moment, this was when he felt like the loneliest person in the world. To step into that room, it took all of his courage, every single time. He squared his shoulders, his sweaty shirt sticking to his skin.

He entered the room, closed the door. Regulus sat at the window, poked a few owl nuts through the bars of Owlbert's cage. It had taken the owl almost a year to warm up to Regulus but after the boy had begun to always carry treats wherever he went, he'd slowly won over Owlbert's suspicious little heart.

Sirius waved his wand to cast a silencing spell, then cleared his throat, which caused Regulus to look up.

"We need to have a talk," Sirius said. He knew that to state the obvious like that likely made him sound stupid but he didn't know what else to say. This part was always the hardest - he didn't want to scare Reg or yell at him but he didn't want to sound too hesitant either. He meant business and he wanted to communicate that but Merlin, the prospect of having to punish his brother made him want to throw up, that's how much he dreaded it.

"Yeah, I figured," Regulus said as he slipped off the windowsill. He'd changed into black trousers and hung his destroyed jeans over the back of a chair.

Like in one of Caravaggio's paintings, a ray of sunlight fell through the window, parted the bed into a bright and a dark side. Sirius sat on the sunny side, patted the shadowy spot to his right. "Sit."

The boy did so without any further comment. His bare feet were wiggling about nervously.

"So why'd you do it?" Sirius asked, deciding to cut the silence short and get straight to the point.

A shrug. "I dunno…" Regulus licked his lips, eyes fixed on the ground.

"Not good enough. You had enough time to think about it, did you not?"

"Yes but… I still don't know."

Sirius hated that. It was like Reg wasn't even making an effort. That time he usually took to cool down before punishing Reg, it was also meant to give Reg some time to think about what he'd done. "Do you need some time in the corner to help you figure it out?"

The boy shook his head quickly. "It's just that it seems so stupid in hindsight that I don't even remember why I thought it would be a good idea."

"Hmm. When did you find the bike?"

"Just today. I thought it would be fun, I'd just take it for a short spin… I knew that asking you would be pointless."

"Huh. Why would you get that idea," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows.

Regulus seemed confused. "Because it's… it's hidden for a reason?"

Sirius nodded, blinked slowly. "And why is that?"

"Because it's illegal," the boy said in a low voice, glanced at Sirius.

"But you didn't care," Sirius said. "Why not?"

The boy rubbed his arm. "It's not like you wouldn't have been tempted if you'd found it," he mumbled.

Reg was right, Sirius had to give him that. "But I wouldn't have done it. Can't risk a Ministry inquiry while you're still underage. They'd declare me an unfit guardian and take you away."

Regulus glanced at him. "They wouldn't really do that, would they?"

"It's a risk I'm not going to take. But this is not the main reason why you'll be punished."

Regulus nodded. "Yeah, it was dangerous…"

"Mrs. Potter just gave Mr. Potter an earful about always also getting a helmet alongside a motorbike, no matter if you plan on storing the bike away in the basement. But I don't think it's his fault. You're not a little kid anymore, after all. You know how important safety gear is."

"I know," Regulus said. "I just didn't think that anything would happen. I just wanted to take it around the block once."

"Accidents can happen before you even leave the driveway."

"I _know_."

"Well, obviously you don't," Sirius shot back. He didn't like his brother's tone.

Regulus sighed exasperatedly. "Look, I'm sorry. Okay?"

"No, it's not okay."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "Fine, then not."

Sirius gave the boy a very hard look. "Do you need me to adjust your attitude before we continue this conversation?"

Regulus shook his head. "I'm not a little kid, you know. I get it, it was dumb to not wear a helmet. You don't have to -" He stopped, his lips trembling.

"I don't have to - what?"

"Treat me like a five-year-old," Regulus said, angry all of a sudden. He closed his hands into fists. "Ask those stupid questions like I don't know anything."

"Well, those _stupid_ questions were meant to determine whether you've lost your broom for the summer. And so far it's not looking bright for you."

Regulus made a face. "Come on, Sirius! Not my broom! You know I'm a safe flyer -"

Sirius shrugged. "You don't seem to care all too much about safety gear. How do I know you won't _forget_ to wear your quidditch helmet the next time you're up in the air?"

Regulus shifted away. "That's not fair! There wasn't even a helmet in the cellar -"

Sirius shrugged once more. "So what? If there's no safety gear around, does that mean that you'll simply fly without?"

Regulus ground his teeth. "It's not like _anyone_ at Hogwarts wears those stupid quidditch helmets except for first years."

"In Gryffindor they do."

"Yeah because Gryffindors' players are pathetic little babies and can't fly to save their lives."

Sirius sighed, shook his head. "All right, have it your way. You can have your broom back come September. If you behave." He rested his elbows on his knees, glanced at his little brother, watched him bristle, screw up his freckled face in undisguised anger.

"That's unfair! I'm a good flyer! How does flying have anything to do with the motorbike?"

Sirius shrugged. "Hey, you didn't want to play along so I guess that's what you get for refusing to convince me that you can act responsibly. Don't blame me."

"No, it _is _unfair. There wasn't a helmet around, okay? You can't blame me for that! You didn't wear a helmet when you raced that motorbike last year and Mr. Potter had to take it away from you!"

Sirius sighed. He had to admit, Regulus had a point. "That was a mistake, you're right. And guess what, I lost the bike as a consequence."

"See! You're a total hypocrite here!"

"The fact that I made mistakes in the past doesn't mean that you get to repeat them."

Regulus was silent, his black eyebrows hanging deep over his eyes like a raincloud darkening the sea.

Sirius straightened up. "Okay. Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"

Regulus gave him a panicked look, knowing exactly what that question entailed. "I'm sixteen now," he said quickly, "I'm too old!"

Sirius nodded. He pulled his silver rings off his fingers, leaned over and set them on the bedside table. "Too old to take risks like that, yeah."

"No, too old for … that! In less than a year, I'll be an adult!"

Sirius knew that. The thought scared him a little. Reg was still so young, and even though he was incredibly smart, sometimes he didn't use his head, like a classical case of book smart, street dumb. Like today. "You knew exactly that if you got caught, you'd end up over my knee. I think I've always been pretty clear about what to expect if you wilfully endanger your life."

Regulus swallowed. "But Siri…" he said that in a tone that made him sound a lot younger than he actually was, "I'm sorry, okay?"

"I know you're sorry but it's not okay. Next time temptation arises to do something as stupid as this, to risk your life just for the fun of it, I want you to have something else to think back to. So you can get up and lose the trousers."

Regulus rubbed his hands on his trousers. "But come on," he pleaded. "Not like - not like that… that's for little kids…"

When they had gotten older, Mr. Potter had switched to using a slipper on James and Sirius. Maybe it was because 99% of the time, Mr. Potter had had to punish two teenage boys, not just one. And that could surely wear one's hand out. Sirius, however, didn't know if he could ever do that with Reg. It didn't feel right to him to hit his brother with an implement. An open hand on the butt, on the other hand, that wasn't too bad. And it was the safety about it that Sirius appreciated, the control over how hard he was spanking, the fact that he could feel the impact on his palm. "Sorry Reg, but that's how we've always done this. Now get them down."

Regulus got to his feet, fumbled with the button of his trousers. "Your parenting is so reactionary," he mumbled.

"Reactionary?!"

Regulus looked up. "Reactionary means opposed to progress -"

"I know what it means!" Sirius bristled. "If you think progress is turning a blind eye to your kid almost getting himself killed, then thank you but no thank you."

"That's not what -"

"I'd rather you live and think twice about getting in trouble, and if the price we both have to pay is that you're taking a trip over my knee now and then that's fine by me."

Sometimes those words felt like empty phrases on his lips. He didn't know if they actually convinced Reg of his position. Judging from the critical look his little brother gave him, Sirius suspected that they didn't. Protest was brewing hot in Regulus' eyes. Sirius decided to cut it short by tugging his brother towards himself, making him stand between his knees before pulling the boy's trousers down to his ankles and guiding him over his lap. He was glad that he was met with little actual resistance. Maybe Reg knew that he deserved this after all.

"Siri… please," the boy begged, shifting uncomfortably, his hands reaching for a pillow as he rested his upper body on the mattress. The sheets were fresh, filled the room with the smell of lemongrass. "Please not on the bare."

Sirius had already hooked his fingers into the waistband of Regulus' underwear. He paused. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't."

"I didn't lie," Regulus said. He turned his head, gave Sirius a pleading look.

"You went behind my back. If you hadn't had that accident, you would've put that motorbike back and never told me about it."

"You can't punish me for something I didn't end up doing," Regulus objected.

"That's true. Still, you waited until we were all out in the backyard until you carried the motorbike outside."

"But I didn't lie," Regulus said. "Please, Siri. I really didn't. I wouldn't have lied if you had confronted me about it, even if the accident hadn't happened. I'm really trying to be truthful!"

Sirius let go of the waistband. "Okay," he said. He patted Regulus' back. "Because you didn't lie, I'm not going to."

Regulus let go a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Sirius knew that it wouldn't make a big difference pain-wise. But Reg had made a very big effort in the last months to be truthful and Sirius didn't want to deny that or make the boy feel like that didn't matter. Based on Reg's behavior, he had no reason not to believe his brother's words. And the spanking Reg deserved for endangering his life would be bad enough anyway without the added embarrassment of getting it on the bare.

So when Sirius spoke, his voice was softer, gentler, and he had to clear his throat to regain that rougher, authoritative tone that was supposed to carry them both through this. "Look, I get that finding that motorbike was tempting. I really do. I likely would've made the same mistake a few years ago. That doesn't make it okay, however. You never rode a bike before. You didn't wear a helmet. You drove on a muggle street without the slightest knowledge of muggle traffic regulations." He raised his hand and brought it down crisply in the center of the boy's buttocks.

Regulus grunted. "You can be a horrible rule stickler. If you'd only follow your own advice -"

Sirius raised his hand again and cut the boy off. "Do as I say, not as I do."

Regulus' hands tightened on the pillow. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He flinched at a swat to his sit spots. "Dunno why you're so proud of being a bloody hypocrite."

"I know it may seem unfair and I'm sorry I can't change it for you. If you wanna complain about me, you're always free to go to Mr. Potter, you know that." Sirius fell into an even rhythm, didn't miss a single beat as he spread out the spanks evenly across the squirming backside over his knee. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched Regulus' shoulders tense up, his feet flex and wiggle. He increased the speed a little, began hitting the same area twice before moving on.

"I don't enjoy watching you get in trouble. Unlike you. Oww -"

Jaw set, Sirius landed a couple of scorching swats on the sensitive undercurve of the boy's rear end. He knew Reg didn't really mean those words, it was Reg's pain and his embarrassment speaking, trying to hurt Sirius back, pulling all the registers he could to make Sirius stop.

"You think I enjoy this? Think again." A couple of smacks on Regulus' sit spots followed. "I hate this, Reg. The only thing I hate more is the prospect of you getting hurt. That's why," he put some serious muscle into the next couple of swats, "if I had to, I'd do this every day. If it meant that you'd stay out of trouble, I'd have no qualms warming that backside of yours every night."

"You can't do that," Regulus whined. He was fidgeting by now, his voice sounded teary.

"No I can't," Sirius agreed. "I won't. But I always hope to make an impression that will last as long as possible. So you won't forget for a few weeks at least, maybe months. Two birds, one stone - it keeps you out of trouble and it reduces the actual number of times you find yourself over my knee."

The first sob, quiet and soft, escaping Reg's lips. "I hate this," he said before burying his face in his pillow.

Sirius kept on swatting. "I know. That's kind of the point. I hate it too."

"Then why don't you stooop - owwww!"

Sirius had to swallow hard at that howl. He followed up on it with a handful of hard swats in the very same place, which caused Reg to kick his feet and yelp again. "I can't stop because it's my job to keep you safe. If this here is what you need," he moved back to the teen's sit spots, "I'm gonna provide it."

"I'm almost an adult! I don't need this…"

"Your actions speak otherwise."

"Owwww… Siri, please …"

"Please what?" Sirius kept on swatting.

"Please stoooop."

Yet Sirius knew that he had to keep going, especially now. He could feel the heat through Reg's boxers; his own hand was turning red. "Why are you being punished, Regulus?"

"Nooo, please," the boy whined. He hated this part, Sirius firing questions at him and expecting him to answer right away.

"Answer my question." More swatting.

Real sobs broke free. "I put myself in danger and got h-hurt," Regulus cried. "Siri please!"

"And why is that bad?"

The boy tried to catch his breath. "Ooowww!"

Sirius lightened the swats a little, spread them out more evenly, but he refused to miss a beat. "Why is it bad, Reg? Why does it upset me so much that I go so far to even take you over my knee for it?"

"B-because I could've been killed."

"Indeed, you could've been killed. And what would that have done to me?"

Regulus sobbed into his pillow. "It would've made you -" his breath hitched, "s-sad."

That was a world-class understatement. "It would've destroyed me. And we came really close to that, today. So I'm actually doing my job as your guardian right now, am I not? Providing you with the discipline you need to keep you safe, to keep you alive?"

Regulus was sobbing into his pillow, crossing his ankles and trying to roll from one side to the other to evade the swats. Sirius tightened his arm around the boy's middle to keep him in place.

"What's your job, Regulus? Your job as my ward, as my _child_?"

Regulus cringed under that last spank Sirius delivered. "To stay s-safe and be g-good…"

Sirius gently rested his hand on his brother's red-hot backside. He could feel it glowing under the thin layer of cotton shielding it from his sight. "To grow up into an adult that both you and I can be proud of. And I'm very proud of you already. But for you to do your job well, that means you have to reach that age, that stage when I can let go of your hand and you'll be able to stand safely on your own two feet. Do you understand?"

Regulus nodded fervently. He was thankful for the short reprieve, tried to get his breathing under control. Sirius longed to rub his back, tell him that it was all over. But he didn't move, kept his hand where it was as a reminder that they weren't done yet. Soon, but not yet. He just had to drive the lesson home.

"When you rode that motorbike today, did you do your job? Did you do what you promised, what you _owe_ me?"

"No," Regulus said softly. He turned his head, glanced back at Sirius. "I'm s-sorry…"

Sirius cast him a soft smile. This time, he believed that the boy truly meant it. He straightened up, tightened his hold on Regulus. Patted Regulus' backside as a sign that they had to get this over with. "I was doing my job. I'm doing it right now, actually. Keeping you safe. I'm doing my part. Now, tell me how is it unfair that you're in this position, getting your bum smacked?"

A deep sob built up in Regulus' body. "Nnoo…"

Maybe that was a little bit too hard to admit. So Sirius chose to rephrase his question. "Whose fault is it that you're in this position?"

"M-mine."

"Trust me when I say this, Reg - my hand is hurting too right now. Just like my stomach, at the mere thought of having to do this. I hate it so much. So _please_ do us both a favor and, the next time when you're tempted to do something that you know will earn you a spanking, please think about the reason why that is_._ I don't think that I'm asking too much of you. All I really want is for you to be safe. It's completely up to you how many more times you end up over my knee."

"S-sorryyy."

"Okay. We're almost done." With that, Sirius raised his hand once more, Regulus already tensing up in dreadful anticipation. The last swats were always the hardest, all focused on his sit spots in order to make the message stick. Sirius waited a few seconds until Regulus' body relaxed again, then brought his hand down hard and fast, fiercely reigniting the fire that was already burning on his brother's rear end.

And then, silence, almost louder than that horrible smacking sound.

"It's over."

As soon as those magical words were spoken, Regulus shifted back, his upper body still over Sirius' lap but his butt was hanging lower now, out of reach. Sirius allowed his brother a few moments to take a few deep breaths, rubbing his back. "It's okay, little one," he muttered, "it's all over. You're fine, you're completely fine." The same calming nonsense as always. When Regulus' breath had calmed down some, Sirius lifted his brother up as he stood, and hugged him tightly, not letting go for another minute or so while Regulus continued to cry softly into his shoulder, his tears were soaked up by Sirius' shirt.

"I'm sorry," Regulus said again.

"And you're forgiven." Sirius kissed the top of Regulus' head. "I know I was hard on you just now, but I had to. I hope you understand why."

Regulus just nodded.

"I love you, do you know that?"

Regulus nodded again. "I love you too."

Sirius smiled to himself. "Even when I'm being re… reactionally?"

"Reactionary." Regulus rolled his eyes, a smile crossing his face.

"That's it. Merlin, it surely does sound bad. Very political."

"It is."

Sirius made a face.

"But you're not really reactionary. Just a little bit."

"Such a relief to hear that, doctor. I guess that means that I'll live?"

Regulus hugged Sirius tighter in response. "You'll be fine."

Sirius' arms tightened around his little brother. Reg wasn't even that little anymore. He was getting older. And even though he was a little scared of Reg slowly becoming an adult (because what if he hadn't prepared him well enough? He had so little time left) he was also looking forward to it. With every single thing Reg learned, they added a piece to the puzzle. One step closer to being brothers again. _Friends_. It wasn't possible right now, but Sirius missed simply being Reg's big brother. Merlin, he missed it so much.

Maybe this was one of the last times he'd had to do this. Sirius surely hoped so.

"You've been listening, haven't you?" he whispered softly, close to Reg's ear. "You know that all you gotta do to avoid this in the future is to stay reasonably safe and be honest with me."

"I've been trying to be honest."

"I know, I'm just saying. I'm really really proud of how honest you've been with me during the last months."

"Thanks," Regulus said softly.

"Don't you think I don't see that." Maybe he should repair the motorbike and give it to his brother next summer. That would be something. Brand-new helmet and driving lessons included, of course, just to get the right message across.

Regulus leaned back. There were still tears glistening in his lashes as he looked up at Sirius. "Are you… are you still mad?"

Sirius put his hands on the sides of his brother's face, ran his thumbs over his cheeks, wiped the remaining tears away. "No. Are you mad at me for punishing you?"

Regulus looked down, sniffed. "No… I don't wanna be mad at you."

Sirius smiled, ruffled his hair. "Get yourself some sweatpants, kid. I'll tell Mrs. Potter that you survived, then hit the shower."

Sirius was sure she was waiting downstairs, preparing a treat for the boy. It was too warm for a hot chocolate but just the right time for a cool lemonade and a few saltine crackers. Reg, despite not being her own, was clearly her favorite. Sirius smiled at the thought. No, he wasn't alone in this. He had the Potters. Thinking about that, things didn't seem so bad anymore. Not bad at all, actually.

And he also had Reg.

It was important to remind himself of that - Reg was on his side too.


End file.
